FAQ. Is it safe in Barcelona to buy bags, trainers, and shirts from street sellers

No. It is illegal to sell counterfeit products on the street - and it is illegal to buy from these street sellers. You could be fined up to 500 euros.

Also it's not entirely safe and not advisable for other reasons.

First of all these items are often illegal copies of real brands. There is not regulation or control of the manufacturing or storage, so these items could be of poor quality and might be toxic or have cause allergies.

They are stored by street sellers who sometimes live in very unsanitary conditions which is also makes it unadvisable to even handle these goods.

There have been incidents of tourists getting into altercations with street sellers or getting caught up in police actions to clear street sellers.

You are also hurting the local stores who pay rent and taxes to operate their business. They are being hurt by illegal goods who don't pay rent or taxes